South African museum of natural history

021 481 3800
The South African Museum in the Company’s Garden is one of the oldest museums in South Africa. The museum was established in 1825 during the governorship of Sir George Grey, with support from Sir Thomas Maclear, Dr Paterson, Charles A. Fairbridge and the first curator, Edgar Leopold Layard. It was created to collect and display natural history and cultural material from southern Africa, with early collections focusing on zoology, geology and anthropology.

Today, the museum houses more than one and a half million specimens. Displays range from fossils, insects and marine life to archaeological finds and ancient tools made by people living in the Western Cape more than 120,000 years ago. There are also collections of traditional clothing and cultural artefacts from southern Africa dating back several centuries.

As the collections expanded, the museum outgrew its earlier premises. In January 1897, it moved into its present purpose-built building at the upper end of the Company’s Garden in Cape Town, where it remains today.

While there are thousands of displays, there are many thousands of items stored away.

There is a nominal entrance charge and a discount for pensioners. Entrance is included in your City Pass ticket

25 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens

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South African museum of natural history